Judges 13 — The Birth of Samson the Judge
Judges 14 — Samson’s Marriage
Judges 15 — Samson Defeats the Philistines
Judges 16 — Samson and Delilah and his Death
Thoughts about serving others
This link includes a list of posts about Serving the Least, the Lost, and the Lonely.
My prayer is for you to join me on this journey. Subscribe to this blog below to get an email when a new post is available.
Let the Word evoke words. May your life encourage lives.
The story of Samson’s parents caught my attention this morning. Manoah’s unnamed wife is met by an angel and though she is barren and childless, the angel announces she will give birth to Samson. Manoah prays and the angel reappears to assure him of God’s desire then ascends in a blazing flame before his eyes (Judges 13:20). Manaoh realizes it is indeed an angel of the Lord and exclaims, “We are doomed to die!” (Judges 13:21-22). But his wife has better insight and explains to Manoah such is not the case. As many times as I’ve heard or read the story of Samson, it seems I’ve missed this interplay. Perhaps being a parent with adult children, different parts of the story catch my attention.
Barren and childless, Manoah and his wife faithfully follow the Lord’s instructions and give birth to Samson. But Samson’s story is one that reveals his flawed character. He marries a Philistine and troubles begin quickly. Though it’s difficult to see why God chose this character at this time, it is clear that Samson’s ultimate act resulted in the death of the leadership of the Philistines and likely the reason for their downfall later. In short, don’t do the wrong things that Samson did, but rely on the Lord as he did…occasionally!